Juan Estevan Arellano

Juan Estevan Arellano is a journalist, writer, and researcher known for his literary works as well as his extensive knowledge of New Mexico’s acequias. He is the author of Ancient Agriculture: Roots and Application of Sustainable Farming, a compilation and first English translation of the Obra de Agricultura by Gabriel Alonso de Herrera, the first book in the Spanish language about agriculture, written in 1513. He has served as mayordomo and commissioner of the Acequia Junta y Ciénega and is a former Concilio member of the New Mexico Acequia Association. As an advocate of traditional agriculture and acequia culture, he is actively involved in preserving the genetic diversity of the food traditions transmitted via the Camino Real from the Middle East, the Iberian Peninsula and Mexico. Arellano is currently working on an Acequia Handbook with architect Arnie Valdez and a book on the Chinampas in Xochimilco. In 2013, the New Mexico Community Foundation named Estevan one of ten Luminarias, a distinction awarded to people around the state who make a profound difference in their communities. Estevan has mentored ALI Dry Studio students and faculty in the Lower Embudo Valley since 2003. Estevan directs the annual symposium, Celebrando las Acequias.